Who was Simeon in the Bible?

The second son of Jacob and Leah, and head of the tribe bearing his name. Except the attack that he, with Levi, made on Shechem, and his being kept by Joseph as a hostage, nothing personally is recorded of Simeon. He entered Egypt with Jacob, taking his six sons with him. On leaving Egypt, those numbered of the tribe were 59,300, but on entering the land after the forty years' wanderings, there were only 22,200.

When Jacob blessed his sons he said, "Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations . . . . in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel." Gen. 49:5-7. This scattering seems also intimated by the circumstance that when Moses blessed the tribes, Simeon is not mentioned.

The lot of Simeon was in the extreme south, having the Philistines on their west and the desert of Paran on their east. On the division of the kingdom they nominally belonged to the ten tribes, but were completely isolated from the other nine, so that they would have had either to coalesce with the two tribes (and of this we read nothing), or, according to the prophecy of Jacob, be 'scattered in Israel.' They were, in a sense, lost in the land. In the future day of which Ezekiel prophesies, when the twelve tribes will be restored and the land be re-divided, the tribe of Simeon has its portion. Ezek. 48:24-35. They are also mentioned in Rev. 7:7, when a remnant of them will be sealed for blessing.

A 'just and devout' man at Jerusalem, to whom it was revealed that he should not die until he had seen 'the Lord's Christ.' When the 'child Jesus' was presented in the temple Simeon took Him up in his arms, blessed God and asked that he might depart in peace, for he had seen God's salvation. Luke 2:25, 34. He was one of those that looked for redemption in Israel.

Designation of Simeon, one of the teachers and prophets at Antioch. Acts 13:1. Niger is the Latin for 'black,' and Simeon may have been so named because of his dark complexion; but this is not a necessary conclusion.

A disciple and prophet at Antioch, designated NIGER. Acts 13:1.

Name by which Simon Peter is called by James in Acts 15:14. In 2 Peter 1:1 also the name is Simeon in the Greek.

Descendants of Simeon, the son of Jacob. Num. 25:14; Num. 26:14; 1 Chr. 27:16.

But if there was no natural éclat but evident humiliation in the facts of our Lord's infancy, what was there not of moral glory! This again it was most suitable for Luke to notice, and he alone does so. "And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was just and pious, awaiting the consolation of Israel,56 and [the] Holy Spirit was upon him." The consolation of Israel was come; the Person who brought it in, and who would make it good in due time, was here. But, further, it was revealed to Simeon "by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death before he should see [the] LORD'S Christ."57 These and the like revelations were vouchsafed before the canon of Scripture was complete. "And he came in the Spirit into the temple." It was a part of that same goodness of God, Who would give suitable witnesses, that this godly man came in at the very time when the parents brought in the infant Jesus to do for Him "according to the custom of the law." But he sees that there was in that babe One altogether above the law. In grace He might become subject to it, and His parents were, of course, right in paying every deference to its ordinances. But Simeon "received him into his arms, and blessed God, saying, Lord, now thou lettest thy bondman go according to thy word, in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation."57a The law of Moses never could give a sinful man to depart in peace — so to speak, it never ought. Peace must be, in order to be real and righteous, from the God who gave the law present in grace, present as man in this world, and present to suffer for sins, the Just for the unjust. And so He was, for such was Jesus. No wonder, then, that he whose eyes were touched with a better eyesalve than that of earth could see God and His salvation in the Babe — could say, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace." It was not imagination, but sober faith; it was "according to thy word." It was not a mere craving desire, nor a sanguine hope. There is nothing so sure as the testimonies of God and His Word; and he had an intimation that he should not see death until he had seen the Anointed of Jehovah. But to depart in peace according to the Lord's Word was a matter of broader interest; it was for others who might not see the Babe. To him, however, it was pledged and performed. "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation." This was what kings and prophets had desired to see, and now Simeon saw it in the person of Jesus. And so, as it was grace of the most marked character in the favour shown to the aged Simeon, he enters more or less into the dealings of grace by the power of the Spirit of God. Thus he pursues it: ("Mine eyes have seen thy salvation), which thou hast prepared before the face of" — not now "all the (Jewish) people," but "all peoples." Again, it is "a light" not exactly "to lighten the Gentiles," but "for revelation of [the] Gentiles, and [the] glory of thy people Israel."58 To this godly man there was an intimation of the momentous change that was at hand. The salvation of God could not be restricted to one people; if God's salvation was upon earth it must at least in result be before all the nations; as St. Paul said, "The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men." (Titus 2:11). That goes farther, no doubt, because it supposes the work done, as well as the person manifested; nevertheless the principle is the same, and it is here.

Simeon and Anna were also of this little remnant. Of Simeon it is written, "the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him; and it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ" (Luke 2:25-26). This aged saint was highly favoured with God's special revelation concerning His Christ. It was not to the High Priest, the chief priests or the leaders of Israel, that God made known His mind, but to one who was just and devout, and who was waiting for the fulfilment of God's promise in Christ.

Jacob was told to go up to Bethel. God had appeared to him before at a similar time when there was friction between his household and Laban's. Jacob saw Laban's face that it was not warm towards him as it had been before, then God told him to leave. God will bring circumstances to such a point where it is almost imperative that we leave but Jacob then turned aside to Succoth and then to Shechem where he bought a parcel of field. This was a part of the world, he was settling down there instead of continuing on to Bethel as God had told him, that is why he had such an extremely sad incident with his daughter Dinah who went out to see the daughters of the land and became involved with one of the sons of the land. Then the brothers of Dinah were extremely cruel and deceitful and when the people of Shechem were unable to fight back Simeon and Levi killed all the males. They did it out of revenge, their father said, but of course it was absolutely bad, thoroughly sinful. You may ask why did not God do something about this, were they not guilty of a horrible crime? Yes, they were, but there was no retribution. The people of the land were dreadfully afraid, the terror of God was upon them, they could not do anything. A crime took place and nothing was done to set this matter right. Do not think for a moment that God would allow those two sons of Jacob to go without suffering for this afterwards, they would certainly face the consequences. Simeon was the leader in this and he was the one who was taken at a time later by Joseph and bound and put in prison.

In our chapter the corruption comes first. His daughter, Dinah, wanted to enjoy the companionship and pleasures of the other young women of the land, and in result got entangled and defiled, and this aroused great wrath amongst Jacob's sons, which was not appeased by the action of Shechem and Ham or in the way of repairing the damage done. The anger came to a head in the atrocious violence of Simeon and Levi, which was never forgotten by Jacob, nor indeed by God. When at the end of his life Jacob spoke prophetically of his sons, foretelling the future of the tribes and uttering certain blessings, he denounced these two sons, cursing their anger, as recorded in Genesis 49:5-7.

Thus the shameful story of Genesis 34 not only caused Jacob "to stink among the inhabitants of the land," — a dreadful position for him, seeing he was the only man in the land possessing the true knowledge of God — but it brought a judgment upon the two who were the promoters of the violence. It is of interest to note that in later days the tribe of Levi so acted as to gain a special blessing, and in consequence we are permitted to see how God can turn that which was originally a curse into a blessing. The word had been, "I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel" (49:7). They were divided; but it was by Levi being called to special service and scattered throughout all the tribes.

The sons of Simeon" (ver. 24). Why is this tribe in such close communication with Judah, coming before Reuben and Levi who for different reasons (Reuben losing the birthright, Levi gaining the temple service) are both prominent after Judah? The reason is found in Joshua 19:1, "their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah;" and turning to Gen. 49:6-7, both Levi and Simeon were to be scattered in Israel. Truly Levi was scattered, but how honourably and blessedly! appointed to maintain the worship of Jehovah; no care nor anxiety but that which pertained to the worship of God. Simeon was small in Israel. "Neither did all their family multiply like to the children of Judah." Notwithstanding, those mentioned by name were princes, and the house of their fathers prospered (ver. 38). Five hundred of them smote the remnant of the Amalekites that had escaped and dwelt in their cities. This down even to Hezekiah's day. But the word of Jacob at the close of his life was prophetic of the future of each tribe. Simeon and Levi were sons of Leah, and were bound together in the wickedness which caused Jacob to say, "cursed be their anger for it was fierce, and their wrath for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel."(Gen. 49) Simeon was the elder, and, may be, compelled Levi to share in his cruelty. They were scattered in Israel. But how wondrously and graciously fulfilled in Levi! His scattering was his exaltation. Simeon on the other hand dwindles down to little more than one-third of his number (compare Num. 1:23, Num. 2:13, Num. 26:14). Zimri, a prince in that tribe, was a ringleader in the iniquity of Poor. The plague that followed slew twenty-four thousand of them and made a terrible breach in that tribe. After the plague, the Lord bids Moses and Eleazar to "take the sum of the congregation;" and Simeon is found to be twenty-two thousand, instead of fifty-nine thousand as at the beginning.

Antioch was then rich in ministerial gifts: Of the five mentioned by name, two of them, if not three, are not noticed elsewhere. Barnabas heads the list, followed by Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene. Of Simeon we know nothing more, nor of Lucius of Cyrene, unless he be the same as Paul's kinsman mentioned in Rom.16:21, which is not very probable. Some have identified him with Luke, which seems clearly to be a mistake. Manaen too is introduced in no other place in the New Testament. Here we learn that he was foster-brother of Herod the Tetrarch, and son, or perhaps grandson, of a certain Manaen, an Essene, who was highly respected by Herod the Great. How different the path of the brothers! Herod had been ruling for years in his Tetrarchy, but had recently been banished to Lugdunum, the modern Lyons, [48] in Gaul. The other through grace became an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ, called to reign with Him before whose judgment-seat Herod Antipas must one day stand to receive his doom as the murderer of John the Baptist. To turn to the revelation now vouchsafed.

(2) It is as thus presented to the Lord that the testimony of the Spirit is given as to Him. We find once again the people who fear God, and with whom the secret of the Lord is, not among the heads of the nation, but little known of men; though in communion with one another as those upon whom the Spirit of God is. Of Simeon we know nothing but his character as just and pious and waiting for the consolation of Israel. It was not merely for his own; even spiritual good: his heart longed for the blessing of the people of God, keenly feeling their condition and what alone could meet it, — Who alone could bring effectual comfort. To him it was given by the Spirit to know that he should not see death till he had seen the Christ, Jehovah's Anointed.

He comes, therefore, into the temple at the time Jesus is brought in, and taking Him into his arms, breaks out in praise. This praise, moreover, goes far beyond the consolation of Israel, while it includes this: for the bud of God's promise has a sweeter, richer unfolding than the promise itself implies. Simeon, no doubt, did not realize all that his words pointed to, and there were still developments to be in the day just dawning.